After nearly nine months “on vacation,” our beluga whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins and Alaska sea otters are back home. We’ve also welcomed new animals to the Oceanarium family, including two California sea lions, temperate-weather penguins, a new Pacific white-sided dolphin and a variety of Pacific Northwest fishes and invertebrates.
Animal care is our top priority. Whether they were moved by road, by air, or by a combination of the two, all of the animals traveled safely and quickly, thanks to careful planning and the training we did with them before they were moved.
Here are highlights of their journey back to Shedd.
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Twenty years ago this week the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, spilling 11 million gallons of North Slope crude on 1,100 miles of pristine coastline. The immediate toll on wildlife was horrific.
Continue reading "Otters and Oil, 20 Years Later" »
Meet Bonito, a green araçari (ahr-uh-SAHR-ee) who’s enchanting guests in Amazon Rising. He’s one of the newest additions to Shedd’s Animal Encounters program, and you can see him, not in a habitat but out and about with an interpreter during scheduled appearances.
Green araçaris (Pteroglossus viridis) are the smallest members of the toucan family. They’re native to the rain forest canopy in northeastern South America, where their hot, bright colors actually mask them from predators. Bonito, however, was raised locally by a professional bird breeder who donated him to Shedd.
Bonito is the first tropical bird in the Animal Encounters program, and you’re most likely to encounter this sprightly foot-long creature (including 4½ inches of beak) in the natural gathering space under the low-water house in Amazon Rising. And when you do see him, he might be playing with a blueberry or other piece of fruit.
Continue reading "Meet Bonito" »